


Stories of the Second Self: Trolling

by John_Steiner



Series: Alter Idem [165]
Category: National Guard - Fandom, Trolljegeren | TrollHunter (2010), Urban Fantasy - Fandom, social justice - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:42:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22745725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner
Summary: Jerrod Conner's hunting expeditions finally bare results. Discovering a museum is being opened with a natural history wing, Jerrod decides to bring a lower jaw bone to an expert for identification.
Series: Alter Idem [165]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618813





	Stories of the Second Self: Trolling

At last, Jerrod Conner had something to show for his sleuthing other than cell phone video in shit lighting. Frequently over the months Jerrod would scout out where troll sightings took place. He would then follow scent trails back to where he knew at least one still lived in the abandoned Cincinnati Zoo.

Local newspapers had made a comeback before the federal occupation of the city was over, and after, it was safe to hire kids to restore street delivery likened to a bygone century. Jerrod had a subscription as well, and he read an article about a local museum being reopened peeked his interest. There was a natural history wing, which led Jerrod to think he could find an expert who would tell him more about the troll evidence he had.

Picking his weekend, Jerrod rode on his motorcycle down to the museum and carried his evidence in with him wrapped and boxed. A security guard- being a werewolf like Jerrod, immediately noticed the box and stepped up to Jerrod.

"Sir, what have you got there?" the security guard asked.

Jerrod knew the tone of voice well enough to realize the guard held his package in suspicion. "I wanted to talk to anyone who's an expert in biology and have them take a look at this."

"Open it up," the guard insisted with a raised chin.

Jerrod did so and drew back some of the paper he'd packed in around the artifact.

"Okay, go ahead," the guard permitted.

Walking by Jerrod turned around. "Do you know who I could talk to about this?"

"There's a curator in that wing, and I think he's a doctor in paleontology," the guard answered.

"Thanks bro," Jerrod said.

Entering that wing, Jerrod was struck by a particular fact. Not only did every room had a high ceiling, but that all doors were giant-height. The paper had it that the place was renovated, but Jerrod didn't recall giant-accessibility being included.

"Can I assist you?" spoke a low base voice seemingly from a floor above.

"Yeah," Jerrod said before turning around, and then reacted, "Oh, that makes sense now."

The giant, wearing a semi-formal suit, looked himself over before remarking, "We successfully lobbied for equal access. The exhibit is for everyone after all. I'm Dr. Thomas Fransisco, though you can just call me Thomas."

"Jerrod Conner," he replied, shifting the box under one arm to offer his hand.

Thomas accepted it using a light hold of just three fingers. "I know that close proximity with a giant can unnerve some people...."

"Nah, it's okay," Jerrod cut in, "I worked alongside giants in the Guard during the occupation."

"Thirty-Seventh, right?" Thomas seemed to recognize while pointing. "I got drafted into that unit. They were rebuilding the heavy assault platoon after that shopping center disaster."

"I wasn't there for that," Jerrod recalled, "We were sweeping neighborhoods for vampires when that happened."

"So, what brings you here?" Thomas asked.

"I have this thing I found," Jerrod replied and raised up the box to open it, "and was hoping you could tell me what it is."

"A lower jaw bone, huh?" Thomas surmised right away and accepted the box carefully. "Not an adult, since those teeth are still embedded into the maxilla. Where'd you find this?"

"Just around the Cincinnati Zoo," Jerrod admitted with a shrug.

"Tooth count is too high, but otherwise I'd say it was a primate," Thomas observed and fingered aside more of the packing paper. "Structural similarities to the great apes, though the front of the jaw looks more like it will grow tusks like a boar."

"Ape and boar together?" Jerrod asked, already having reached that conclusion from his encounter with the living version of the thing.

"There's some scrapes that suggest thing thing met a grizzly end," Thomas suggested as he fingered at the jaw bone. "You said-- the Cincinnati Zoo? I thought that was closed."

"It is, but something's livin' there," Jerrod said, "I could tell from the smell that jaw there was fresh. Do apes eat their own?"

"There's some unusual ossification here. As to cannibalism, sometimes," Thomas answered, still fascinated by the find. "Though, it's most often observed in chimps. Generally, they'll abduct and eat babies of a rival troop or one of their own in times of stress. There was one female named Flo that Jane Goodall observed taking infants from females in her own group to eat."

"What about gorillas?" Jerrod wondered, feeling sure the troll he ran into was a gorilla at one point.

"The only report was by Dian Fossey," Thomas said, and then hedged his answer, "Albeit it was based on fecal matter she discovered."

"So Alter Idem messes with us, right," Jerrod decided to get to the point. "Is there any chance it changed animals too?"

"If you're asking for a scientific answer for something we're still struggling to state is quantifiable enough to be explained by science," Thomas warned with raised brows, "I don't think anyone can yet give you one. I've heard stories of unicorns and fairy-shaped fireflies."

"I've seen a unicorn," Jerrod admitted, vividly recalling that encounter where Paul Appelbaum caught it all on his tablet camera.

"Would it be alright if I held onto this for a bit?" Thomas asked, giving Jerrod a sincere look of curiosity. "Maybe send a sample off for DNA testing?"

"Yeah, sure," Jerrod waved off easily. "I can probably get you more if you want."

"If you're saying what I think you are I don't know if that would be safe," Thomas said, leveling his stare at Jerrod more than before.

"If I had thought about it at the time I could've brought you a blood sample." Jerrod recalled the moment he used the unorthodox right-handed Bodyguard glove to slice into the troll that charged him.

"I know you Wild Strikers can handle yourself, but this is a bit different," Thomas advised, "I'll work with this for now and get back to you. Can I get your phone number and address? Email would be good too if you got access to that."

For that Jerrod was prepared and took out a slip of paper to hand over. "Email's there too."


End file.
